Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Muswellbrook and Brisbane

For one person, living is cheaper in Muswellbrook: $2,294 a month against $2,630 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brisbane outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

118

Cost of Living Index in Muswellbrook
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Muswellbrook Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index

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Muswellbrook

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,294

/mo nomad

Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,630

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Muswellbrook and in Brisbane

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Muswellbrook and in Brisbane actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,294 per month in Muswellbrook vs $2,630 in Brisbane, rent included.

Muswellbrook $2,294
Brisbane $2,630

A couple spends around $3,598 per month in Muswellbrook vs $3,801 in Brisbane, rent included.

Muswellbrook $3,598
Brisbane $3,801

A family of three spends $4,902 per month in Muswellbrook vs $4,972 in Brisbane, rent included.

Muswellbrook $4,902
Brisbane $4,972

Muswellbrook is about 13% cheaper than Brisbane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Muswellbrook and Brisbane sit above the global median – Muswellbrook by 69%, Brisbane by 93%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.21 A$24.45

$17.61 A$25.02

-2.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.1 A$121

$80.0 A$114

6.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 A$15.04

$11.43 A$16.24

-7.44%

Cappuccino

$3.42 A$4.86

$4.51 A$6.41

-24.17%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 A$3.87

$2.95 A$4.20

-7.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 A$3.17

$2.39 A$3.40

-6.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.99 A$9.93

$8.61 A$12.23

-18.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 A$10.01

$8.36 A$11.88

-15.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 A$1.70

$1.62 A$2.30

-25.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.13

$2.65 A$3.77

9.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 A$3.10

$2.32 A$3.30

-5.60%

Eggs

$4.04 A$5.74

$4.94 A$7.02

-18.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.36 A$14.73

$9.08 A$12.90

14.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.57 A$13.60

$9.12 A$12.96

4.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.41 A$23.31

$14.34 A$20.37

14.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 A$4.17

$4.14 A$5.88

-28.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 A$3.67

$3.07 A$4.36

-15.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 A$3.95

$3.05 A$4.33

-8.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 A$6.39

$4.89 A$6.94

-7.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.39

$2.81 A$3.99

-14.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.53

$2.48 A$3.52

0.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 A$3.94

$2.41 A$3.42

14.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 A$2.44

$1.19 A$1.69

44.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.91 A$59.6

$38.54 A$54.8

8.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.03 A$19.94

$12.65 A$17.97

10.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.43 A$6.30

$5.22 A$7.41

-15.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.68 A$6.65

$4.87 A$6.92

-3.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 A$3.89

$0.34 A$0.48

705.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.9 A$133

$20.97 A$29.80

347.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 A$5.42

$3.05 A$4.33

24.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 A$2.04

$1.89 A$2.69

-23.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.81 A$59.4

$40.76 A$57.9

2.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 A$1.90

$1.45 A$2.06

-7.59%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.5K A$42.0K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-0.56%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.5K A$34.7K

$25.6K A$36.4K

-4.47%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$138 A$197

$158 A$224

-12.28%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$31.16 A$44.28

$26.05 A$37.02

19.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.96 A$71.0

$61.1 A$86.9

-18.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 A$79.1

$61.2 A$86.9

-8.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 A$21.61

$22.36 A$31.77

-31.98%

Cinema Ticket

$13.12 A$18.65

$13.95 A$19.82

-5.95%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,205 A$3,133

$2,044 A$2,905

7.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K A$32.8K

$12.9K A$18.3K

79.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 A$101

$82.4 A$117

-13.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.9 A$89.4

$43.63 A$62.0

44.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$145 A$207

$113 A$161

28.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 A$153

$111 A$158

-2.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 A$1,707

$1,944 A$2,762

-38.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 A$1,508

$1,431 A$2,034

-25.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,222 A$3,157

$3,484 A$4,951

-36.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 A$2,910

$2,240 A$3,184

-8.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,189 A$8,794

$9,322 A$13.2K

-33.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,686 A$6,659

$7,003 A$9,951

-33.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,419 A$9,121

$4,144 A$5,888

54.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.23

5.81

-9.98%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Muswellbrook: October 26, 2026

Last update for Brisbane: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Muswellbrook

$1.1K 46.3%

Brisbane

$1.4K 54.4% 34.9% $370

Groceries & Markets

Muswellbrook

$361 15.8%

Brisbane

$362 13.8% 0.1% $0.5

Eating Out

Muswellbrook

$279 12.2%

Brisbane

$310 11.8% 11.2% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Muswellbrook

$220 9.6%

Brisbane

$245 9.3% 11.6% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Muswellbrook

$174 7.6%

Brisbane

$158 6% 9.5% $17

Getting Around

Muswellbrook

$116 5.1%

Brisbane

$35 1.3% 69.9% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Muswellbrook

$82 3.6%

Brisbane

$89 3.4% 8.7% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,201 in Muswellbrook versus $1,944 in Brisbane. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 55% higher in Muswellbrook, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Muswellbrook versus $80 in Brisbane. Groceries tell a different story – $361 in Muswellbrook vs $362 in Brisbane – so Muswellbrook wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Muswellbrook

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🕒 Local time

07:35 7:35 AM

06:35 6:35 AM

1 h behind Muswellbrook

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,000

2,287,896

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Muswellbrook Brisbane 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Muswellbrook
Brisbane

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Muswellbrook vs Brisbane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 15% more than Muswellbrook, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,440 per month in Muswellbrook and $3,945 in Brisbane. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Muswellbrook, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,201 there versus $1,944 in Brisbane.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,294 in Muswellbrook and $2,630 in Brisbane. That makes Muswellbrook about 13% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $2,205 per month in Muswellbrook and $2,044 in Brisbane. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,294 in Muswellbrook and $2,630 in Brisbane, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Brisbane has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,294 in Muswellbrook to $2,630 in Brisbane. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.